Break
by Deanne Stevenson
Summary: Morgan's thoughts on Reid's ordeal with Tobias Hankel.
1. Chapter 1

Sitting on the front steps of the Hankel house, Morgan hoped the cold night air would wake him up. He was sipping a cup of coffee. It was burnt and way too strong, even for his taste, but he thought it would help him clear his mind. He, Prentiss, and Hotch had spent hours looking through Tobias Hankel's journals, searching for clues as to where he might have taken Reid. Garcia and JJ were looking for clues on Hankel's computer.

Every time Derek looked at Jason Gideon, he was staring into space. Derek figured Gideon was pondering the case and would soon arrive at some great insight. The mind of the BAU's senior profiler was an enigma he stopped trying to understand long ago.

Although he hadn't had any alcohol, Morgan felt drunk. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually slept. Since Reid had been taken hostage, he'd only taken occasional cat naps. The girls went to bed at night, at least for awhile, and got some sleep. Gideon, Hotch and he had pretty much been awake throughout. Derek couldn't imagine sleeping in this creepy place, anyway. It reminded him of the house in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." He saw the movie when he was a kid and it scared the wits out of him. "That should have warned me about getting into this business," he mused.

The Hankel house was in a remote area of Georgia. They were somewhere down a dirt road, miles from the nearest town. As he took another swig of his coffee, Derek wondered, jokingly, how far he would have to drive to find a Starbucks. He hated the murky darkness out here. There was a small light on the arc of the barn roof. It slightly illuminated the driveway and cast an eerie light into the cornfield beyond. It made the stalks of corn look menacing. To a bleary eyed Morgan, they looked like ghostly figures as they changed shape in the breeze.

The sounds bothered him, too. Raised in Chicago, he was used to the sounds of the city. The incessant chirping of the damned crickets, and the stinking owl he heard every ten seconds or so, were driving him crazy. "Hoot." He heard the owl in the woods behind the house. "Show yourself, you little bastard, and I'll be happy to shoot you." Rubbing his eyes, he realized his own absurdity.

Derek wished he had been the one who had come out here to investigate. Tobias would never have been able to take him hostage. He knew he could easily overpower a man of Hankel's size and weight, even if he did have a weapon. Morgan taught self-defense classes at headquarters and was skilled in judo. But poor Reid, hell, he couldn't fight JJ.

Thinking of JJ, he was still blown away. Three dogs, three shots! Morgan wasn't even sure if he could shoot like that. "Go, girl! Amazing what you can do when you're about to be ripped up and eaten alive," he thought cynically. It will be something she can tell her shrink about for years.

He was ashamed of how coldly he'd treated JJ earlier tonight. When she was feeling guilty about Reid, she went to Derek for reassurance. Reid getting captured wasn't her fault. He knew that. She was hurting; he should have given her a hug and consoled her. He was so worried and drained, he couldn't find it in him. Maybe she would be able to forgive him. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't.

Morgan closed his eyes. He felt his body sway slightly. He shook his head from side to side and forced his eyes open. Slowly, he took several deep breaths of cool air and drank the last of his coffee.

Damn you, kid. It was crazy taking the chance you did. Why didn't you wait for us? The images of Reid being tortured haunted him. The welts and bruises on Reid were horribly evident on Hankel's videos. To Morgan, hurting Reid seemed as cruel as stomping on a butterfly.

As much as they joked, teased and antagonized each other, Derek and Spencer Reid were as close as any brothers. Derek couldn't protect his weaker sibling. Tears of frustration began to trickle down his face. He was too tired to wipe them away, and suddenly, he was grateful for the darkness.

As he struggled to compose himself, Morgan focused on the job he had to do. He had to keep his mind straight and go back into the house. He had to continue searching through Hankel's diaries, for Reid, for any clue that would help the team find him. But damn, he didn't want to delve into that lunatic's mind again. The thought of it made his head ache.

Morgan was about to get up when he felt familiar arms slip around his neck. Her long hair brushed against his cheek, as she hugged him from behind. "You okay?" Her voice was soft in his ear.

She sat down on the step beside him. Slipping her arm in his, she rested her head on his shoulder. In this dark place, he was comforted by her touch. It reminded him there was a beautiful part of his life. "Yeah, I just needed a break."


	2. Chapter 2

(Later the same night, after Reid has been rescued.)

It was troubling to Morgan having to watch Reid limp barefooted through the wooded cemetery. Hankel had beaten Reid on the soles of his feet and they were badly bruised. Reid occasionally leaned on Gideon's arm. Slowly, he made his way to the police cars parked on the dirt road ahead. Pain showed plainly on the young man's face.

Morgan was strong. He could easily have carried the frail agent, but he knew Reid had to walk out of the cemetery on his own. It was important to his self-respect. Consequently, Derek just watched from a short distance away in case Reid needed his help.

He was proud of Reid. The kid was more resilient than he'd ever imagined. He would tell him so, as soon as they had a chance to talk. After this, Derek decided, he could never tease Reid again.

At least not for awhile…..

Reid was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta to be checked over. Hotch and Gideon accompanied him. It worried Derek that Reid had to have CPR earlier that night. He was concerned it could have caused some permanent damage to his heart. Derek took Gideon aside before they left and expressed his fear to him. Gideon promised to call the Hankel house with news as soon as Reid was evaluated.

Morgan drove Emily and JJ back to the house. He was anxious to get back for Penelope. He knew she must be freaked out being at the Hankel place alone. Not being a field agent, it was against FBI regulations for her to go out to with the team. There was no cell phone signal in the area. She had no idea that Reid was safe or that Tobias Hankel was dead.

Emily sat in the back seat with her arm around a very emotional Jennifer Jareau. JJ had maintained her self-control through the past difficult days, but now broke into frequent spells of crying. She was devastated knowing how Reid had suffered. More than the guilt she felt over his abduction, she had become intensely aware of how much Spencer Reid meant to her.

When Morgan pulled into the Hankel driveway, every light in the house was turned on. He saw the curtains in the front room pull aside when they drove in. A moment later, a frantic looking Penelope Garcia appeared in the doorway.

As Derek got out of the SUV, the first blush of daylight appeared on the horizon. "Em, fill Garcia in on what happened," he said. "Maybe you and she can calm JJ down so she can get some rest." He sat down on the front step. "I'll be in soon."

Derek wanted a few minutes to unwind. He looked out across the field that had appeared so sinister just a few hours earlier. He saw several white-tailed deer in the rows of cornstalks. A rooster was crowing nearby. The symmetry of the world had been restored and a sense of peace swept over him. "Thank you, God," he whispered.

Morgan was not particularly religious, but he had felt powerless in the past few days. He'd found consolation in reaching out to something stronger than him.

Now that Reid was safe, he could actually find it within him to feel sorry for Tobias. The journals described the brutality his father had inflicted on him most of his life. Even the strongest psyche would be damaged by the horrors to which the he had been subjected. The thread of sanity that remained in Hankel's personality was gentle and decent. This was the person who ministered to Reid, who fed him, who gave him the CPR that saved his life. Derek found enough forgiveness in him to say a prayer for the soul of Tobias Hankel.

He recognized her footstep behind him even before she spoke. She brushed her hand across his back as she sat down on the step next to him.

"How's JJ?" He glanced at her, his hand resting on her knee.

"Sleeping." She sounded stern. "You should be, too."

"You missed a night's sleep yourself," Derek reminded her, looking back toward the horizon.

"You've missed about three."

Morgan shrugged. "I know. I wanted to watch the sunrise. I've always found it…..hopeful." He paused. "When I lived in Chicago, I used to go out to Lincoln Park to watch the sun come up when I needed to think."

"Oh, really?" she said with skepticism, "I can't imagine you getting up that early."

Morgan grinned. "You're right. It was usually before I went to bed. I'd have trouble getting up before the sun."

"I know," she teased. They both knew she'd rarely seen him get to work on time since they had been at the BAU. She was happy to see him smile again. He hadn't smiled in days. None of them had.

"Reid did look okay, didn't he?" After watching Reid so near to death on the video, she needed Derek's reassurance.

"Seemed like it. He's tougher than I thought."

Morgan looked out at the sunrise and stretched. "I'm going to have a talk with him about JJ. It's obvious to everyone but him that she's crazy about him. For a genius, our young Dr. Reid is pretty dense." He shook his head and smiled. "Sometimes you can't see what's right under your nose."

The air was cool but the emerging sun was pleasant and warm. Rabbits were nibbling the grass near the edge of the woods. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was going to be a beautiful day. They sat silently enjoying the tranquility, absorbed in their own reflections on the past few days.

"We should go in," she suggested after several minutes. "We don't want to miss a call from the hospital."

Walking into the house together, Morgan's feet faltered and he stumbled.

"Derek!" She reached out to steady him.

"I'm sorry," he said tentatively. "I'm kind of dizzy." He covered his eyes with his hand. In a moment, the light-headedness passed.

She knew he was not ill, but exhausted. She put her arm around him and led him into the living room. As Morgan lay down on the sofa, she slipped a pillow under his head. She untied his shoes and slid them off. His eyes were closed when she covered him with a blanket. He was already asleep when she kissed him, her long hair brushing against his cheek.


End file.
